In relation to the previous discussion on Margaret Sanger, this chapter will explore the theories of Sanger who wrote in the period of first wave feminism in relation to Betty Friedan; a second wave feminist and women’s activist who, like Sanger chooses to focus on the constraints of female biology despite the difference in time. This direct comparison allows a critical analysis between the parallels and differences of the first two waves of feminism on the grounds of bodily autonomy; investigating further whether these two waves are connected on these grounds and how significant they are in the different time frames. Friedan positioned herself within society as one of the most influential figures to contribute to the development of feminism
An archetype character in a film, book or television program can be related to anyone. In literature, an archetype is a typical character who acts or finds himself in a situation that seems to embody such recurring themes of human nature. Among those archetypes are feminist ideologies, which focus on gender inequality. Discrimination, objectification (especially sexual objectification), oppression, patriarchy, and stereotyping are all topics that feminist theory frequently examines. Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible uses archetypes and feminist theories to help in better understanding.
In every relationship there is always an unequal relationship with the significant other. In the short story The Chaser by John Collier, Alan Austen who’s the main character in the short story goes to an old man to buy a love potion so this girl named Diana would fall in love with him. The basic principle states that men and women have a relationship that is unequal or oppressive. In the short story “The Chaser”, it shows feminist criticism by feeling unconfident, buying a love potion, and Diana’s treatment of Mr. Austen. My first main point of the story that touched on feminism was when Mr. Austen feeling unconfident.
An article we read this semester, Girls Gone Anti-Feminist highlights the disconnect between feminism in the 70s to feminism by millennials today. One interesting thing I found in this article was the way the author compared Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin to the Spice Girls and Lady Gaga as representing feminism. Normally, Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin are not mentioned in the same sentence as the Spice Girls and Lady Gaga as they are in completely different professions and have different fan basses and followers. However, all of them embody the idea that a woman can be anything she wants to be from a singer to President of the United States. The way the author compares these women points out the differences in the broad ways feminism can be represented.
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, is about Grant and Jefferson who are two black men that have drastically different views on life as one of them is college educated, while the other has no formal schooling. They refused to change their old ways and stayed closed minded throughout most of the novel . Being African American in Louisiana during the 1940s facing racism didn’t help Grant and Jefferson since whites did everything they could to degrade them. Towards the end, they evolved into caring and brave characters due to the influence of motherly-like women such as Grant's aunt Tante Lou and Miss Emma, who is Jefferson’s godmother . Miss Emma and Tante Lou, were influential female role models who instructed Grant to visit Jefferson and see him stand up for his rights, and so did Vivian, Mr. Wiggin's girlfriend who encouraged her significant other to follow Miss Emma’s and Tante Lou’s advice.
Hannah Webster Foster formulates a tale that, on the surface, appears as a novel warning women against seduction, a common theme of the times. Marriage was seen as a necessity for women who desired financial stability and status, and being sexually seduced by a man would not provide a woman with these needs. Thus, the warnings against seduction and romanization of marriage were rampant. Upon further examination however, The Coquette has strong feminist undertones calling women towards the American ideal of freedom. This new nation claimed to be built upon the rock of freedom, while simultaneously oppressing women.
Deep in the earth of Massachusetts lies the graves of many innocent women, all of whom lost their lives for unjust accusations of demonic witchcraft used to harm the future of their people -- the children. The lives of the lost women remain lurking in the minds of even today’s people, all forever questioning the extreme untrust neighbors held against one another and its influence on their perceived leaders. Arthur Miller elaborates upon the unjust power hierarchy of these times in his play, The Crucible, specifically depicting the influence that gender roles cast upon the Salem court and community. In the once noble town of Salem, the livelihood of its people surrounded a particular gender hierarchy, forcing women to constantly have less
The characters in the play reveal some of the gender stereotypes through the way they are presented in the beginning of the play, “The sheriff and Hale are men in the middle life… They are followed
Gender roles are present everywhere and are more and more prevalent the further back you go. They define relationships and heavily influence people's actions. Gender roles can hurt those that are trapped in them because they are not allowed the freedom of living like they want. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, one key relationship in the story is wrecked by gender roles.
A woman’s work is never done: many American women grow up with this saying and feel it to be true. One such woman, author Jessica Grose, wrote “Cleaning: The Final Feminist Frontier,” published in 2013 in the New Republic, and she argues that while the men in our lives recently started taking on more of the childcare and cooking, cleaning still falls unfairly on women. Grose begins building her credibility with personal facts and reputable sources, citing convincing facts and statistics, and successfully employing emotional appeals; however, toward the end of the article, her attempts to appeal to readers’ emotions weaken her credibility and ultimately, her argument.
Whenever the slightest portrayal of sexism is seen, feminists are quick to react and correct what is wrong. The solution to sexism is not to blatantly ignore it and say it does not exist anywhere; the solution is to stand up for what is right and implement the actions that need to take place. In “Bad Feminists” by Roxane Gay, it was stated that “[her] favorite definition of a feminist is one offered by Su, an Australian woman who...described them simply as ‘women who don't want to be treated like shit’” (Gay 169). That is basically essential for all bad feminists.
Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun presents the rise of feminism in America in the 1960s. Beneatha Younger, Lena Younger (Mama) and Ruth Younger are the three primary characters displaying evidences of feminism in the play. Moreover, Hansberry creates male characters who demonstrate oppressive attitudes towards women yet enhance the feministic ideology in the play. A Raisin in the Sun is feminist because, with the feminist notions displayed in the play, women can fulfil their individual dreams that are not in sync with traditional conventions of that time.
He thoroughly shows through these characters that Female physical traits equal weakness, while male traits equal power. He promotes his sexist views by showing the gender roles reversed to further enhance mans power. The women, Nurse Ratched for example, is looked at as destructive forces she is seen as a machine “a mistake was made somehow in manufacturing putting those big, womanly breasts on what would of otherwise been a perfect work”(6). “She’s swelling up, swells till her backs splitting out the white uniform”(5). At the end of the novel her breasts are exposed and her feminine (less powerful) side is seen.
Throughout history, women have been second fiddle to men. Females have been degraded, disrespected, and undermined; they’ve been ignored, silenced, and gone unheard. This gender inequality is present even in The Odyssey, though it includes many important female figures. Penelope, Calypso, Circe, and more are all crucial to the plot, and some even responsible for the happy ending, yet when inspected closely female stereotypes emerge. The majority of the women are presented as seductresses, the others as mothers, and almost all as fragile and dependent on men.
Feminist Theory In Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart”, they recognize the life of the Igbos which are a tribe in the village of Umuofia during European colonization. There are many topics brought up in this book like the effects of colonization, culture and tradition, religion, race, etc. It is relatively easy to read “Things Fall Apart” as an anti-feminist text due to the face that the Igbo clan’s customs and traditions seem to side towards masculine features, such as power and strength. The novel is told through a male protagonist’s point of view in nineteenth century Nigeria, while women there do not have much rights, they do wield heavy influence over the leaders of the clan.
